Screw-propeller and rudder.



No. 666,077 Patented Ian. I5, l90l.

W. M. WALTERS.

SCREW PBOPELLER AND BUDDER.

(Application filed Jqly 5, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MILLER WALTERS, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

SCR EW-PROPELLER AND RU DDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,077, dated January 15, 1901.

' Application filed July 5,1900. Serial No. 22,505. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MILLER WAL- TERS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements Connected with Screw-Propellers and Rudders, of which the is a specification. I

In screw-propellers it is a well-known disadvantage that the parts of the blades near the boss are ineffective for propulsion, and they, togetherwith the boss, cause considerable drag on the ship and also waste of power by churning of the water.

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the above-mentioned disadvantages may be obviated. I attain this object by arrangements and construction .of parts such as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of the stern of a ship, showing the propeller and rudder. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section at the line A A on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a modification.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, for the purposes of my invention I form the boss at of the propeller of comparatively large diameter, so as to include within its circumference that part of the area of the propeller-blades which is most inefiective-that is, the central part to an extent of about one-third the diameter of following the propeller-and forward of the boss I form with or attach to the stern of the ship a piece b,which may be either tapering or cylindrical, with a circular base at 0 about equal in diameter to the boss at and with its forward portion or edges gradually merging into the lines of the ship at cl. Behind the boss at I aflix, preferably to the rudder-post e, a piece f, with a circular base at g equal in diameter to the boss a. The piece f may be cylindrical 0r, asshown, may taper somewhat aft. On the rudder h I affiX a tapering or conical piece 4;, with its base at j nearly equal in diameter to the after end of the piece fon the rudderpost. The base of the piece alis made spherical and the end of the piece f is made hollow, so as to form a ball-and-socket joint, which will allow of the rudder h and piece i being moved to one side or the other for steering purposes, as shown by dotted lines It, without liability of the piece 2' becoming fouled or jammed with the piece f. The tapering or conical pieces 17 ft may be made of wood or hollow metal and arranged to form buoyan cy-spaces. The piece 71 instead of having its end projecting beyond the rudder, as shown by the solid lines, may be shorter, so as not to project beyond the rudder, as shown by the dotted lines at Z. The piece 11 may form part of the rudder. By the above arrangements water is directed in easy flowing lines past the enlarged boss (1, and there are no projections or abrupt changes of surfaces to cause eddies or drag on the ship. The propeller-blades m spring from the boss at an eifective angle, so that there is no loss by churning the water in a circular direction.

Referring to Fig. 3, in this modification the parts and arrangements are the same as in Figs. 1 and 2, excepting that instead of the parts f and t forming a ball-and-socket joint such pieces are cut away or formed so as to leave V-shaped spaces at n to allow sidewise motion of the rudder.

The enlarged diameter of the boss ctallows of a number of blades m, more than four being conveniently attached to such boss, and by using a considerable number of blades the vibration caused by the propeller is greatly reduced.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a screw-popeller,

stationary pieces on the ship forward and aft of the propeller, the bases of the pieces being of approximately equal diameter to the boss of the propeller, and a conical or tapering piece on the rudder, the piece on the ship aft of the propeller and the piece on the rudder being arranged to allow lateral motion of the rudder and piece thereon, substantially as de-' stationary piece on the ship aft of the propeller the baseofxthe piece being of approximately equal diameter to the boss of the propellet, and a conical or tapering piece on the rudder, the base of the piece on the rudder and the after end of the stationary piece be ing arranged to form a ball-and-socket joint, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification in the presence of 10 two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM MILLER WALTERS.

Witnesses:

W. B. JOHNSON, R. CRAIL. 

